Seeing her confusion, Queen Lirien chuckled lightly, her eyes sparkling with amusement, before repeating her question again.
"I was asking about your parents, dear child," she said, her voice tinged with curiosity. "They should have been present with us by now, but they are conspicuously absent."
Queen Astrid, meanwhile, only smiled to herself, her eyes glinting with knowing silence, as she waited for the drama to unfold.
Camilla gave the prince a panicked look, and he, in turn, flashed an apologetic glance, his expression screaming that he had forgotten to share some crucial details with them.
"Let's discuss this matter privately, Mother," the prince intervened, coming to Camilla's rescue.
But before Queen Lirien could ask why, Queen Astrid beat her to it, her voice dripping with subtle malice.
"Why not now, Your Highness?" Queen Astrid questioned, her voice laced with subtle insistence.